Dr. Alan Green was attracted to dentistry because of its specific and mechanical nature: If a tooth was broken, it was a dentist's job to fix it. Job done.

When Green made the decision to go to dental school, he was working in medical records, where he saw the many variables that sometimes go into a medical diagnosis. He thought dentistry would be different, but a funny thing happened as he grew in his profession. He realized that dentistry was a lot more than carpentry work in the mouth. Tooth problems and dental health, he recognized, were inextricably entwined with overall health.

Green, of Natural Dentistry in Boulder, practices holistic dentistry.

The term has no specific definition, and the practice has no certification process, but in general it means looking at mouth issues such as cavities or broken teeth as part of a patient's whole health picture. That means looking at the individual patient and his other health concerns and sometimes working with complementary health practitioners such as acupuncturists or massage therapists.

In addition, a holistic practice eschews the use of amalgam fillings that contain mercury. Although the American Dental Association's position is that amalgam fillings are safe, some dentists choose to use composites and other types of materials when filling teeth.

Green's practice has been mercury free for 30 years, he says.

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While a holistic practice may include complementary therapies, it also makes use of traditional dental techniques.

"If a tooth is broken, what does a dentist do? If it's not a deep injury, a crown is made," Green says.

What's different, however, is that Green will look at what caused the tooth to break in the first place.

"I look at the tooth it is in relationship with, that one that beat the heck out of the one that got broken. If I just put a crown on (the broken tooth), it will beat up the next one," he says, adding that bite stress is one of the most neglected aspects of dental practice.

Louisville dentist Dr. Tom Zyvoloski became interested in holistic dentistry after graduation from dental school in the 1990s. He says mainstream medicine has already documented the relationship between periodontal health and heart health.

"The health of the mouth has an effect on the health of the rest of the body," he says.

Zyvoloski does not use amalgam fillings, and has installed a special air filtration system for their removal from patients when that is required.

"There's a lot of friction and heat that's generated (in removal)," he says, adding that the amount of mercury vapor outgassed when removing an amalgam filling is well above the Environmental Protection Agency's safe level of exposure for mercury.

The filtration system captures the mercury vapors, and the patient is kept on oxygen to prevent breathing in the fumes.

However, Zyvoloski does not recommend removal of amalgam fillings simply to get them out of the mouth. He uses the system when a filling must be removed because it has already failed.

Zyvoloski also uses homeopathic remedies in some cases, such as after crown prep to make gums feel better.

Like Green, Zyvoloski says bite issues can lead to a number of problems.

"When I was in dental school, (research showed) about 10 to 20 percent of patients clenched or ground their teeth," he says. "New research shows 50 percent."

He says night guards and TMJ splints can be a cost-effective way to treat the problem.

"If you wear down your teeth over time, you're going to spend a lot of money on crowns," he says.

While Zyvoloski doesn't take a stance on fluoride in drinking water, he generally prescribes MI paste, a remineralizing paste, rather than prescription fluoride paste for patients who need it.

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